MILESTONES

Joined Sydney television station ATN-7, where he worked as a production assistant

1967:

Directed first short film, "Count Vim's Last Exercise"

1968:

Directed and acted in his second short film, "The Life and Flight of the Reverend Buckshotte"

1969:

Made several documentaries while working for the Commonwealth Film Institute (now Film Australia)

1970:

Directed the 30-minute segment "Michael" of the three-part, three-director feature film "Three To Go"

1971:

Made his first major independent film, the short feature "Homesdale"

1974:

Directed and co-wrote his first feature film, the underground cult classic "The Cars That Ate Paris"

1975:

Major feature breakthrough was "Picnic at Hanging Rock," the Australian film based on the novel by Joan Lindsay

1979:

Wrote and directed the offbeat low-budget telemovie, "The Plumber"

1981:

Earned international praise with the Australian hit, "Gallipoli"; first screen collaboration with Mel Gibson

1982:

Re-teamed with Gibson for "The Year of Living Dangerously"

1985:

First American film was the successful thriller, "Witness"; first collaboration with Harrison Ford; earned first Oscar nomination as Best Director

1986:

Again collaborated with Ford for "The Mosquito Coast," Paul Schrader's adaptation of Paul Theroux's novel

1989:

Had major international success with "Dead Poets Society," starring Robin Williams in a dramatic role; earned second Oscar nomination for Best Director

1990:

Directed Gérard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell in the romantic comedy, "Green Card"; earned third Oscar nomination for his Original Screenplay

1993:

Directed "Fearless," starring Jeff Bridges as a man who believes he has become invincible after surviving a catastrophic air crash

1998:

Directed Jim Carrey in rare dramatic role in "The Truman Show"; received a Best Director Oscar nomination

2003:

Directed "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World," an adaptation of Patrick O'Brian's series of action-adventure novels; earned Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture and Best Screenplay; nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Outstanding Directorial Achievement; received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director

2010:

Returned to directing with "The Way Back," a film about a group of prisoners who escaped from a Siberian gulag during World War II